Chana Cox's writings express her personal views and do not represent any
official position or policy of Lewis & Clark College.

Reflections on the Logic of the Good

The failure of revolutionary utopian experiments is often blamed on a lack of commitment, courage,
or self-sacrifice. This book shows that such failures are inevitable irrespective of particular
theories of human nature. These societies must fail, in part because no single overarching theory
of the good is either possible or desirable. And these societies must fail, in part, because
social systems are adaptive systems. The mathematics of adaptive systems is entirely general
and does not distinguish between mechanical, electronic, biological, or social systems. In
complex adaptive systems, multiple automatic control mechanisms are essential to survival and
any single central plan, no matter how benevolent, rational or enlightened that single source
of control, will fail.

The stability and the health of human communities must be achieved by checks and balances,
agonists and antagonists, forces and counter-forces, and multiple decision makers rather
than by central guidance and near perfect cooperation.

Reflections on the Logic of the Good provides a powerful metaphysical and philosophical
foundation for those who argue against the micromanagement of the individual, the economy,
and the society. What emerges from this analysis is a non-relativistic ethical pluralism,
an entirely general invisible hand theory, and a defense of the open mind, the open society,
and the open universe.

"Reflections on the Logic of the Good takes a new and lucid approach to the various
disputes between advocates of freedom and free choice against those who wage holy
wars of any kind, in the service of some supreme ideal. Taking Plato's Republic
as her starting point, Chana B. Cox shows, in a discussion free of relativism, that
Platonically influences approaches to truth and values are logically inconsistent
and unsustainable."